'Ice missile' law hits drivers who don't remove snow

Jan. 18, 2014
|

Cecy Wang clears snow off her car as Samuel Scott shovels a sidewalk Jan. 7 in St. Louis. A new law in Connecticut mandates that snow and ice be removed from vehicles that take to the roadways. / Jeff Roberson, AP

by Larry Copeland, USA TODAY

by Larry Copeland, USA TODAY

Anyone who lives or drives regularly in one of the cold-weather states has probably observed the phenomenon: A massive chunk of ice becomes dislodged from the top of a truck or car up ahead and hurtles your way.

"The slow-motion nightmare" is what Connecticut State Rep. Lawrence Cafero, a Republican from Norwalk, calls it.

"You're driving in the center lane, a day or two after a snowstorm," he says. "Ice on vehicles is starting to melt. You're driving 60 mph, with cars on the left, cars on the right. All of a sudden, you see this sheet of ice do this Olympic dive off the top of a truck in front of you. You can't go left, you can't go right. You just pray to God it doesn't hit you."

He began pushing for legislation several years ago after a sheet of ice flew off a truck and smashed into the windshield of a vehicle driven by Cafero's wife, Barbara, as she drove to work at 60 mph. She was frightened but unhurt. Cafero wanted a law that would allow police to fine drivers who motor around with snow and ice piled atop their vehicles. He says the state's trucking industry resisted for years, but a law was finally passed in 2010 and went into effect at the beginning of this year. It applies to all drivers.

The law says drivers "shall remove any accumulated ice or snow from such motor vehicle, including the hood, trunk and roof of such motor vehicle, so that any ice or snow accumulated on such vehicle does not pose a threat to persons or property while the vehicle is being operated on any street or highway of this state." Those who fail to do so can be fined $75. If snow or ice flying from vehicles results in injury or property damage, drivers of non-commercial vehicles can be fined $200 to $1,000. The penalties for commercial drivers are $500 to $1,250.

Only about 10-15 drivers have been cited by state police under the new law, says Lt. Paul Vance, a spokesman for Connecticut State Police. Police are working to educate motorists about the law. Signs are posted at car washes and landfills around the state reminding drivers of the new law.

Several other states have similar laws:

â?¢In New Jersey, drivers can be fined $25-$75 for failing to remove accumulated ice and $200-$1,000 if the ice flies off and causes injury or property damage.

â?¢In Pennsylvania, drivers can be fined $200-$1,000 if snow or ice flies from their vehicle and strikes another vehicle or pedestrian, causing death or serious bodily injury.

â?¢Washington allows police to stop drivers for traveling with accumulated ice on their vehicles, but the offense does not carry a fine.

The new Connecticut law highlights an age-old problem for truck drivers, says Mike Riley, president of Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, which represents 900 companies with truck drivers: How do you get ice off the top of an 18-wheeler?

"There is no easy way to get the snow off the top of a tractor-trailer," Riley says. "We can't send drivers up there. The trucks aren't designed for people to walk up there, and they could fall off and get hurt."

He says some trucking companies have an ice-clearing device "that looks like football goal posts. The truckers drive through, and the ice is pushed off the truck."

Riley says he urges manufacturers to devise a means of removing snow and ice from the top of trailers. His association pushes a "low-tech solution," a multi-use snow tool called A Better Snow Rake (www.abettersnowrake.com) designed by Wisconsin trucker Richard Rowe. "We've sold over 200 of them," he says.

Rowe says he began designing the tool after hearing about New Jersey's snow removal law, enacted in 2010. "The whole unit weighs less than 5 pounds," he says. "They can fold it up and keep it in their truck until they need it."

Connecticut trucker Scott Inman, 50, a truck driver for 25 years, says "it's hard to tell" what would be a viable solution. But, he says, "I think the fine is a little excessive, especially for truck drivers."